Negativity

This entry is for a close friend - you know who you are

If you’re at home, jealous that your friends are abroad working, studying, and playing, just know that they probably aren’t telling you the whole story because sometimes travels aren’t really all they’re cracked up to be. Yes, I will admit that I’m having a better time here in Shanghai than if I had stayed at home, but it isn’t ALWAYS all “fun!” and “amazing!” and “wish you were here!” Some of it is dirty, crowded, and confusing.

Although we love complaining about some things, like parents and class assignments (I love both of my parents and enjoy my classes for the most part, but let’s be honest here… we don’t usually sit around talking about how perfect our family is or how much fun we have doing our problem sets), there are certain things that are out-of-bounds when it comes to complaints.
One such topic is traveling. How often have you received a postcard that says, “I’m bored. The weather sucks. You’re so lucky you aren’t here!”? I’m going to guess your answer is: Never. The reality is that we romanticize our travels. Who knows why we do it. I think it has something to do with our need for justifying spending the money, the vacation time, and effort planning our trips; after all that, it had better be worth it!

Well, I’ll let you all in on some secrets… some things that I’ve already neglected to mention when regaling you with how wonderful Shanghai is. Here goes:

*I wish people didn’t stare at me so much because I look foreign. It makes me feel self-conscious.
*The internet is slow and disconnects too often. Plus, lots of websites are blocked in China.
*I didn’t pack some clothes I now wish I had, and they’re currently sitting in a room on the other side of the world.
*It’s humid. Ew.
*Sometimes I can’t understand people when talking to them, partially because of my limited vocabulary, and partially because of the Shanghai accent. It’s frustrating.
*The water pressure in my shower isn’t exactly ideal.
*I’m nervous that my internship won’t be challenging or stimulating and that instead of learning, I’ll be bored.
*Oh… and I never hear news about how the Celtics are doing!

I guess that’s it for my complaints so far, but then again it hasn’t even been a week! I don’t mean to be Miss Negativity, or sound like I don’t like it here. Rather, this post is to get the message out that everything is NOT as glamorous as our stories may lead you to believe. Sometimes it’s a struggle to adjust. Sometimes we miss the conveniences and familiarities of home, family, and friends.